On behalf of the Canadian canola industry, I want to address some of comments made in “Biofuel policy called just another farm subsidy” in your March 3 edition.
I think it’s important to acknowledge that biofuel is an alternative to fossil-based fuel and, when comparing the two, biofuel provides substantial benefits for the environment. It’s true that the two percent biofuel inclusion in diesel will provide a reliable market for Canadian canola but that’s not the only reason that it’s a good decision: canola is an environmentally-sound feedstock that will help us to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada.
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In November, the Canola Council of Canada released a report by Don O’Connor, one of the foremost experts on lifecycle analysis, which took a comprehensive look into each stage of canola biodiesel production from seed to tailpipe. The study shows that canola biodiesel’s emissions on the combustion end are more than four times lower than those from fossil diesel. Overall, biodiesel made from Canadian canola reduces lifecycle GHG emissions by 90 percent compared to fossil diesel. I encourage everyone to read the study and see that Canadian canola can be a leader in sustainable biofuel policies by going to www.canolabiodiesel.org and clicking on the link from Nov. 30, 2010.
The federal government is taking a step in the right direction with the biofuel mandate and our industry hopes that the next step is to invest in biodiesel production in Western Canada so that we can produce biodiesel where canola is grown. This would decrease the distance between canola biodiesel’s production and end-user, which would in turn decrease GHG emissions in its lifecycle.
JoAnne Buth, president,Canola Council of Canada, Winnipeg, Man.
